Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight Sky ❯ Nightmare ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Twilight Sky 9
Nightmare




Dr. Date-



Seiji's dad had been a wonderful man. She still remembered the day she'd met him, how handsome and dashing he'd been. She remembered his gentle smile and the way he'd held her on their wedding night. But, that was all in the past. Now, she had to protect her family against the man who still held her heart.

"Dr. Date, are you still there?"

"Ah..." Dr. Date realized that she'd been staring into space, lost in her thoughts. "Yes, yes, I'm still here, doctor Tatami. Are...are you sure? There's no mistake?"

"None at all, I'm afraid. Your husband was released about three days ago. It's all perfectly legal, his psychiatrist has ruled that he's stable enough to live outside the hospital. All he had to do was report in for a check-in every day, but he hasn't checked in since he left us. No one's been able to track him down and I thought you ought to know."

Dr. Date put a hand to her forehead, feeling suddenly faint. 'This can't be happening. I...I can't go through this again.' "You think he might still be dangerous?"

At the other end of the line, doctor Tatami hesitated before answering. "I can't say for certain, Dr. Date. It's entirely possible that he is stable and he'll be able to rejoin your family."

Dr. Date felt her heart stop when she heard that. She loved her husband, always would, but the idea of living with him and eating with him and sleeping with him made her break out in a cold sweat. What if he came back and he tried to hurt Seiji? What if he tried to hurt his father? 'I'm not strong enough to fight him and I don't think Seiji or his grandfather could fight him, he's family, after all.'

Doctor Tatami continued, "But, since he's skipped his check in's, I don't think he's made as much progress as was thought. I have to recommend that you avoid contact with him. If he hasn't contacted you in the past three days, he may not even try. I've alerted the police in your area, but until he's found, you and your family should stay at your home. The police have agreed to have a patrolman check your home a few times a day."

"Thank you." But Dr. Date hardly heard what he was saying. Seiji had gone out earlier and Ryo left a few minutes ago with Xiu. "I...I'll make sure everyone stays home." When she hung up the phone, her hand was shaking uncontrollably.

For a moment, she just sat there, staring at the phone while the words rang through her head. 'Get everyone home. Keep them home.' Turning her chair quickly, Dr. Date went to the dojo where her father-in-law was teaching. Normally, she wouldn't interrupt one of his lessons, but this wasn't a normal situation. "Dad!" She shouted, wheeling her chair right onto the practice mat and making the startled students scramble to get out of her way. "Dad! Where's Seiji?"

He looked down at her, more than a little irritated at the interruption, but he must have seen how upset she was because he didn't even scowl that she'd interrupted his class before he announced, "Dismissed. I'll see you all next week."

"Dad, where's Seiji?!" Dr. Date repeated herself more urgently before even the last student had left. "We have to get him and Ryo home, now!"

Kanto patted her shoulders reassuringly. "Now, now, just calm down. What's happened?"

"It's Sango! He's out!"

"Dear God..."



Youja Kai-
Sh'ten-



Sh'ten was fuming as he stalked down the hall, pulling his long sleeve-less coat into a more comfortable position. Not that his coat was uncomfortable, it was just a nervous habit he'd picked up somewhere. 'How am I supposed to tell Rajura that I let Anubis escape?' Sh'ten thought of his traitorous brother. 'I'll strangle him when I get my hands on him!' Sh'ten vowed as he stalked down the hallways. 'I can't believe he did that!' As he walked, Sh'ten had to stop for a moment when the world tilted around him. It was only the blood loss, he knew, but it was more disabling than anything he'd ever felt before. 'I go begging Arago to ignore his behavior with that boy! I take pity on him and let him feed when Rajura tells me not to and this is how he thanks me?!' Sh'ten seemed to forget that he was the one who'd instigated the little confrontation between himself and Anubis.

Now, after having to grovel to Arago, again, because he'd been late to their meeting Sh'ten was in an especially bad mood. 'Meeting my sweet tush!' He thought, his mind going back to the throne room where he'd been on his knees and the demon lord had shouted at him. 'He wasn't even talking about anything! That neurotic, power hungry, idiotic just wanted someone to babble at!' His thoughts drifted away when he walked into Rajura's chambers and found Rajura in the midsts of a vision.

On his back in the center of his bed, Rajura's eye was rolled into his head, showing only the white part and his mouth was partly open with drool seeping out of the corner. His entire body was rigid and his arms and legs were spread out and he twitched erratically every few seconds.

"How did your meeting go?" Naaza, standing at the side of the bed with one of Rajura's robes draped on his shoulders, asked. He was only barely modest and, from his miffed tone, Sh'ten could easily guess that the vision had hit Rajura during a particularly...er...intimate moment.

"As expected. He yelled, I fawned, Anubis escaped." But Sh'ten wasn't looking at Naaza. He was focused on Rajura, waiting patiently for the vision to end. Time ticked by and still Rajura didn't wake.

"It's taking to long." Naaza said, though his tone didn't betray his worry.

"We've seen him go through longer ones." Sh'ten didn't feel as confidant as he sounded, but he didn't try to open his mind to Rajura to find out what his brother was seeing. He'd tried that once, in the past, but it all he'd seen was nothing. It was as if Rajura had vanished from their group mind during his visions and Sh'ten didn't like the feeling at all. They'd just have to be patience and wait for Rajura to wake up on his own. "This must be a dozy."

With a desperate gasp of breath, Rajura sat bolt upright and his blue eye came back down, slowly focusing on them. Rajura never liked to be touched right after a vision, Naaza and Sh'ten didn't try to reach out to him either physically or with their minds.

Rajura turned to Sh'ten. "Anubis is gone?"

"Yes. Did you see that?"

Rajura rarely told anyone what he saw in his visions, and this time would be no different. Instead of answering, Rajura shakily stood up and walked to the single window of the room. "We have to get Anubis away from that Ryo he's so interested in. He's dangerous."

Naaza said, "A human? Dangerous to Anubis?"

"He isn't human." The realization hit Sh'ten like an arrow through the head. "We all felt his blood, he's different from any human Anubis has ever tasted. He tastes..." Sh'ten searched for the right word. In Ryo's blood there was a taste of power and something familiar. Something was nagging at Sh'ten's memory.

"Never mind that." Rajura interrupted quickly. "Anubis has most likely gone to Ryo again, but he might be in hiding. We have to find him and bring him back." It wasn't a suggestion, but an order.

"You know something." Naaza said softly. "What aren't you telling us?"

Rajura said nothing.




Rajura-



'How can I tell them? How can I tell them that the time of the great, final war has come and Anubis is smitten with the enemy? That boy, Ryo, has more power than even he knows. Ryo's not alone, though. I saw him with others. No faces, but colors and a feeling of unity between them. I wish I knew more to tell them, but I saw things I can't even begin to understand. A shining staff with chimes and brown hair girl's face. Five colors and a black tiger with white flaming swords. I just don't understand it yet. Something is going to happen. Something soon.' Rajura felt a wave of fear run over him. 'And if I don't get Anubis away from Ryo, he's going to be hurt.'



Anubis-



Desecration of the dead is one of the vilest acts of violence possible. Mostly for the reason that the dead can not fight back and even in the time when Anubis had lived as a mortal, it had been a crime punishable by death. He could sympathize with Ryo as Ryo sat on his knees by the headstone and scrubbed the stone. For the first time in a long time, Anubis was happy just sitting at Ryo's side. All right, so Ryo thought he was nothing more than a dog (Dog?! I'm a wolf, any fool can see that!) At least he was with Ryo.

Anubis didn't like Ryo's friend, Xiu. It was jealously, plain and simple, not that Anubis would admit to it. He didn't like how close Ryo seemed to the larger boy or how familiar Xiu acted towards Ryo. 'He has no right to be so close to Ryo. Ryo's mine. I saved him so I get to have him.' Logic might not be Anubis' strong point, but, as a wolf, he knew his territory and he intended to defend it.

'Thou art happy, then?' The familiar voice drew Anubis' attention away from Ryo and to the nearby forest.

'Lightfoot? Sister, what brings thee here?' Anubis honestly didn't even know that she could travel between the two worlds alone.

She gave him a wolfy sort of smile with her tongue hanging happily out of her mouth. 'I come to see thee, brother. Thou art happy?'

Anubis looked again at Ryo, still scrubbing silently. 'Yes. I am most happy.'

'Good.' Lightfoot turned and, without another word, bound into the dark forest.



Xiu-


Xiu looked up just in time to see the white and black form of Ryo's tiger, Seiji said it was named Byakuen, going into the forest. 'Weird.' He thought. 'I thought he'd come over to see Ryo, but maybe that's lucky. I wouldn't want to see Ryo's two friends fight it out.' He looked down at the black dog and saw that it was watching Byakuen, too.

Well, he had other things to worry about other than Ryo's pets. Touma's trial was in two days and now Ryo was having to deal with shit like this. 'I'll bet money it was Akira and his little punks. Seiji said Ryo had a run in with them not long ago. What a disgusting thing to do.'



Dr. Date-



"He's either gone to the Mouri house," Grandfather Date was saying when he preceded Dr. Date out of the house as they went in search of Seiji. "Or he might be at the school still, but most likely, he's gone to see Xiu."

"I'll go there first." Dr. Date said, grabbing her handbag on the way out.

"I don't want you going out alone..."

But Dr. Date knew what he was going to say and cut him off quickly. "Don't say it! I know what you're going to say! I'll be perfectly fine alone and you can't come with me when we can split up and find Seiji faster. No one's answering the phones today, so we have no clue where Seiji is. This is the most logical answer." She gave him a firm look. "You know I'm right, Kanto."

But the older gentleman shook his head doubtfully. "I don't like you being out there alone with my son on the loose. He's all ready tried to kill you once."

"And he's threatened to kill Seiji several times. I will NOT let my son die!" She was nearly yelling fiercely.

"Calm down!" Kanto took her by the shoulders and looked at her with equal ferocity. "We're on the same side here, but I don't want you or Seiji to get hurt. It's my responsibility to protect the both of you. I've never been able to stop you from doing anything you please, my dear, but I do have to try. No matter what you like to think, that wheelchair does make you more vulnerable."

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Date calmed herself enough that she knew she wouldn't yell at her father-in-law before speaking again. "I know I'm vulnerable. But we're not doing Seiji any good just sitting here. You know I won't give in, so stop trying. You go to Shin's house, it's further away, I'll go to Xiu's house. If we don't find him, we both come straight back here. I've already called the police and they're keeping an eye out for him and Ryo. I hope we find them together, but at least Seiji's father has no idea who Ryo is."

Finally, he nodded and let go of her shoulders. "It's times like this that I wish we had a car. I'd feel better if you had at least that much protection."

"And people in Hell want ice water. We don't have time for this, Kanto. Let's go!"





The door of the Faun Family restaurant was half way open, odd because Dr. Date knew the restaurant was closed today. This was the one day out of the week that Mama Faun closed so the family could spend the day together. "Mrs. Faun?" There was no answer when Dr. Date pushed the door open far enough so she could move her wheelchair inside. The restaurant was dark, except for the large window that let the light of the setting sun into the room, making the room sinister with thick shadows.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm looking for Sei...oh, God!" Dr. Date lost her train of thought when she saw the tiny, unmoving body a few feet in front of her on the floor, face down. She recognized the child's body as Lai, Xiu's youngest sister and quickly wheeled herself over to the little girl. "Lai! Lai, can you hear me?"

The child didn't move and, since no one was answering her calls, Dr. Date did the only thing she could. Very carefully, but as quickly as she could, Dr. Date lowered herself out of her wheelchair until she was on the floor. It was the only way she could examine Lai. With only her arms to move her, Dr. Date pulled herself over to Lai and turned the little girl over onto her back.

Lai had been stabbed once in the middle of her chest and been allowed to bleed to death.

'No.' Dr. Date's inner voice was numb with shock. She'd seen children die before, some even younger than Lai, but this had been cold blooded murder. There was no way this could possibly be an accident. Lai's skin was still warm and that made Dr. Date's grow cold. She'd only died a short time ago. The killer could still be here.

"Hello, darling."

Dr. Date looked up and paled at the sight of her shaven headed husband standing in the doorway that led to the upstairs home. He was dressed nicely, save for the blood stains on the front of his white shirt, and he looked at her with something close to pity.

"Sango." Dr. Date knew she was in a very bad position. Kanto had been right. She should have waited for help. "What have you done?" She looked down at Lai and then back up at her husband. "How could you do this, Sango? She's just a child."

"Yes." Sango was holding what looked like one of Mama Faun's butcher knifes in one hand and a professional eye told Dr. Date that it was most likely the murder weapon. "And now the innocent has been saved from a life of sin and evil." He smiled almost lovingly down at Lai's body. "Our Seiji was like that once. Do you remember? He was pure and innocent long ago." When he looked up from Lai, Dr. Date saw that her husband's eyes had narrowed angrily. "Then you let him turn to sin. How could you? How could you let our son be damned? It's your fault, darling. You let him turn to another boy for love. I won't say that it's sick. Sickness can be cured. No, no our son isn't sick. He's evil." Sango raised the butcher knife and stared at his reflection on the bloody blade. "I'll have to get rid of this evil. First, I'll kill this Faun boy. Then, I'll kill Seiji. It's for his own good, you know."

"No! Listen to yourself, Sango!" Dr. Date thought that if she could just make him stop for a little while, delay him until Kanto arrived. After all, if she knew her father-in-law, he's be coming by to make sure nothing had happened to her. Maybe Sango would listen to his father more than her. "Seiji hasn't done anything wrong, he's in love, that's all!"

"Not love! Sin! God despises all sinners, but I won't let our son be damned. God will forgive him if he's murdered tragically. Yes, if God sees how much Seiji has suffered, he'll be forgiven. But this Faun," Sango's face darkened with hate. "He led Seiji into temptation. He made Seiji do this..."

"No, he didn't. I'm telling you, they're in love!"

But Sango wasn't listening. "I won't let him corrupt my sons. Either of them."

Dr. Date began to inch back towards her wheel chair. 'Sons? What's he talking about?' It was almost impossible that she'd be able to climb back in and unthinkable that she'd be able to get away from Sango, but she had to try. "How did you know, Sango? Who told you that Seiji was gay?" She couldn't imagine that Seiji told him. Seiji didn't even like to think about his dad.

She would never find out the answer because at that moment Sango lurched forward and caught her by the throat. Dr. Date grabbed his wrists, but she was nowhere near strong enough to get him off and he easily lifted her off the floor.

"Don't you want to know where the rest of the family is?" Sango asked, looking pointedly at Lai. "I really couldn't say. I found her here, alone. Foolish, really, to leave such a little girl home alone. Bad things could happen to her. Bad, bad people in the world, you know."

Dr. Date could hear her heart beating faster and faster in her ears when Sango brought her closer to his face. How could anyone think he was ready to be released on the world? Sango tightened his hands around her throat and stars began to flash before Dr. Date's eyes. It was getting harder and harder to breath and, at the moment she saw one particular star began to get closer and closer, Dr. Date knew she was about to die.

"I...I love...yo..." But the star was getting so close and it was such a bright, white light that Dr. Date was overwhelmed. She couldn't see Sango anymore. She could see anything but the light and it was all around. The pain was gone and Dr. Date could feel, for one glorious, eternal moment, endless love that spanned eternity. She was dead. She'd never been so happy.



To be continued...





ELgoW: Did we make you cry? Huh? Huh? I do love the sound of sobbing and that ending was just lovely.

Lil' Demoness: How can you say that? You killed two characters! Just think of all the cute scenes we could have done with Lai! Sniff! And now Dr. Date.

ELgoW: Cute my sweet butt! The kid had to die! Besides, everyone loves torture and it's Seiji's turn.

Lil' Demoness: Not that I want to encourage torture, but I think Zorra would like you to get back to giving Ryo some pain. I can't believe I'm reminding you of this. (sigh) I'm going to work on Warrior Children for Val. She likes sap and I think I need a bit of that after helping you.

ELgoW: (Mutters) Not like I asked for any help, you prissy little faery.

Lil' Demoness: (Takes him by the throat and starts squeezing.) What-did-you-say?

ELgoW: Nothing! Lemme go! I gotta go hurt Ryo for Zorra or she'll get mad at Cousin D! Come on, please!

Lil' Demoness: (Lets go.) You're lucky Cousin D likes Zorra or I'd tear your larynx out right now.

ELgoW: (Purrs happily while rubbing his sore neck) I love it when you get rough.

Lil' Demoness: (Grabs him by the hair and pulls him in close.) And I love it when you beg.

Cousin D: OKAY! I think that's enough of that! (Shoos them away from the computer.) I'm sure you readers really don't want to know that much about the private lives of my muses. I don't think I want to know that much. Anyway, thanks to those of you who are reviewing and, as always, thanks Zorra and Val:) I couldn't do it without you, my dears. Keep watching for the next chapter, it looks like Ryo's not going to have much fun. Not that he ever does.